Double-tier multiple-unit tank car



7 374 M. MAURAN DOUBLE TIER MULTIPLE UNIT TANK CAR 5 heets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18 I 1922 141) 021 AX RAN May 1, 1923. I 1,453,476

M. MAURAN DOUBLE TIER MULTIPLE UNIT TANK CAR Filed May 18, 1922 3 Shets-Sheet 2 i: a I 6 H a I: O- O- 0 0 0 O O 5 O- O- -O I 0B6 6 6 (Baum Wot MAX MAUR AN nn-Q M. MAURAN DOUBLE TIER MULTIPLE UNIT TANK CAR may 1, 1923. 1,453,476

Filed May 18. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheep 3 24 i3 6 avwemtoz Mex MAURAN Patented May 1, 1923.

1 UNITED 'STTES T Critic max MAUTB-AN,OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE KATEIESON ALKALI WORKS, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF VIRG- DOUBLE-TIER MULTIPLE-UNIT TANK CAB.

Application filed May 18, 1922. Serial No. 563,008.

To allwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I MAX MAURAN, a citizen of the United tates, residin at Niagara Falls, in the county of iagara,

5 State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double-Tier Multiple-Unit Tank Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled ide, etc., has been commonly effected in relativelysmall containers, the transportation of which involves an excessive cost both for the containers and for their shipment. The amount of the liquefied gases which can be transported in such containers is, moreover, small. In said prior application I have described an improved multiple unit car construction which enables the liquefied gases to be transported in large containers of about one-ton capacity and in carload lots, with equal or greater safety than when shipped in small containers, and with added advantages in the handling and transportation o the liquefied gases in large quantities.

In the improved car construction of my' said prior application a series of drums or containers is arranged on the car and held in cradles against either transverse or longitudinal movement on the car even with the varied motions of pitching and rolling, or of sudden stopping and starting, to which the car may be subjected in transit.

The improved car construction of the present invention enables a greatly increased number of the drums or containers to be carried by a single car. I provide the car with similar seats or cradles for receiving and holding the drums or containers from rolling movement on the car, together with clamping means for clamping the containers upon the cradles, and, in addition, I utilize the depressions between the adjacent containers as seats for additional containers, and I provide additional clamping means for the additional containers.

I, accordingly, provide a multiple unit tank car in which super sed drums or containers are carried by t ose arranged directly on the car frame or cradles. Although the higher row or rows of containers are thus elevated above the framework of the car, nevertheless, they are in suflicient proximity thereto to enable them to be held securely in place against accidental displacement during transit.

The cradles for the containers may be either longitudinally or transversely arranged, and the containers themselves may be either transversely or longitudinally arranged. A transverse arrangement of containers is illustrated in my said prior application. A longitudinal arrangement of the containers is illustrated in my com anion application, Serial No. 562,001, filed ay 18, 1922. In the preferred construction of the invention, however, the cradles are longitudinally arranged and the containers are transversely arranged, and the invention will be further described in connection with this preferred arrangement, which is illustrated in a somewhat conventional and diagrammatic way with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved car, with a part of the containers removed, and with arts broken away,

Figure 2 is a si e view,

Figure 3 is a partial longitudinal section,

Figure 4 is an end view,

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of one of the holding means,

Figure 6 is a partial longitudinal section showing an alternate form of anchoring means for the upper tier,

Figure 7 is a transverse section of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a partial end view showing lustrated, the car body is an open frame, comprising a central Slll or girder 1, in the present instance a hollow box girder, which carries intermediate its ends cross-girders 2, the said girders being arranged at suitable intervals, and at its ends the sill carries girders 3 and 4, which are somewhat stronger, and are braced against the sill and against each other, to provide a reinforcement in the body at the trucks. Channel plates 5 are secured to the girders on each side of the central sill, the said channel plates extending longitudinally of the car body, and at suitable intervals along these channel plates spacing blocks 6 are secured, in any suitable or desired manner, as for instance by riveting. The blocks of the channel plates are in register, and each pair of registering blocks is braced against the central sill by means of the brace indicated at 7 in Figure 4:. This brace comprises a body which is secured to the sill, and arms extending upwardly at obtuse angles, and secured at their free ends to the blocks 6. Referringto Figure 3, it will be seen that each bloclc 6 has its upper corners concave, and the concave corners of adjacent blocks cooperate to form seats for engagement by the substantially cylindrical containers 8 for the liquified gas. These containers, as shown more particularly in Figures 3 and 4, rest in the seats and extend beyond the channel plates 5 at each end, and the containers are anchored on the seats in any suitableor desired manner, as for instance by the mechanism shown more particularly in Figures 4 and 5.

The anchoring mechanism comprises rods 9 which are pivoted to brackets 10 on thechannel plates 5, and each rod Qhas a head 11 at its outer end. A hearing sleeve 12 is mounted to slide on each rod, and each of the said sleeves has a hook 13 which is adapted to engage the reinforced chime 1d of the adjacent container 8. The chimes, as shown, incline inwardly toward the axis of the container, and the hook is engaged with the chime. Each of the bearings 12 is moved into and out of operative position by means of a nut 15 threaded on to the rod 9. and limited in its outward movement by the head 11. By turning the nut outwardly, the hook may be moved to a position where it can be engaged with the chime, and then by turning the nut in the opposite direction, the hook may be engaged with the chime, to clamp the'container to its seat. Any other suitable form of anchoring means may be provided. 7

- The lower row of containers is shown as somewhat spaced apart, so as to provide an increased depression between adjacent containers which will form a seat of substantial depth for receiving thenext row of containers. When the containers are neeaeve placed in these depressions, they will be held from rolling motion by the supporting drums on each side. v

In the drawings a container '8 is shown as arranged in each of the troughs or depressions. The upper row of containers thus carried makes the car, in efiect, a double-decl er. The containers of the upper tier may be anchored in any suitable or desired manner. For instance, in Figures 3 and 4i, they are anchored by means of rods 16 similar to the rods 9, but of greater length, and pivoted to brackets 17 on the central ,sill. These rods have heads 18 at their outer ends, for limiting the movement of the nut controlled bearing 19, which carries the hook for engaging the container chime.

The car is provided with runways v2O carried at the ends of the cross-girders, and handrails 21 are arranged outside of the runways. Each runway has a guardrail 22 at its inner edge.

I In Figures 6 and 7, I show an alternate method of anchoring the upper tier of containers. In this arrangement, the containers of the upper tier are anchored directly to the containers of the lower tier. nel bar 23 is arranged between each pair of adjacent containers 8 in inverted position, and are shaped bands 24 are arranged above the containers at the ends thereof. Each 'band has an upwardly extending hook 25 at each of its ends, and these hooks engage the channel bars as shown in Figure 6. The channel bars are anchored to the adjacent containers of the lower tier by means of hooks 26 which are connected to the channel bars by eye-bolts 27. The bolts pass upwardly through the bodies of the channel bars, and are engaged by nuts 28 above the channel bars. It will be obvious that by means of the nuts 28 the channel bars and the are shaped bands maybe drawn tightly down upon the containers of the upper tier, .firmly anchoring them tothe containers of the lower tier. In this arrangementthe containers of the lower tier are anchored to their seatsin the same manner as shown in Figures 3 and 4. I

It will thus be seen that the invention "provides a car construction for carrying a considerably increased number of drums or containers, certain of which are supported by others and all of which are securely held in place against accidental movement on the car.

The car construction is equally'adapted for the transportation of full containers and empty containers, so that the car can be shipped with a load of full containers and returned with a. load of empty containers without delay other than that occasioned by the unloading and loading of the car. The car, moreover, is so constructed as to permit ready loading and unloading,

A chanare only of the drums or containers may be removed without removin \the others, although it will be evident t at, in order to remove one of the lower containers, it

will be necessary first to remove those which are arranged above it and in part supported by it. y

' n constructing the car the cradles and supporting means are carried directly by the car frame, so that the provision of the usual platform of a freight car is unnecessary. The arrangement, however, is such that a safe passageway for the brakeman is provided at the sides of the car and at its ends, so that the brakeman may pass safely along either side of the car, and so that the containers themselves will always be accessible for inspection.

The improved multiple-tier car of the present invention is adapted, not only for thehtransportation of corrosive gases, such as chlorine and sulphur dioxide, but also gases which are non-corrosive in character, such as casing-head gasoline, where it is important to prevent escape of highly volatile dissolved gases and where the containers are required to withstand the pressure which such gases may exert. The provision of safety plugs on the containers, for example, made of a low melting point alloy melting at about 150 R, will permit the contents of the. containers to flow out in relatively.

small streams, in case of overheating, so that warning willbe given of the esca e of the gas and so that an explosion o the container will be prevented.

In Figures 8 and 9, an alternate form of means is shown for clamping the upper tier of tanks to the lower tier. A plurality of C-shaped clamps indicated at 30 are engaged with each tank 31 of the upper tier, and the said clamps connect the said tank with the'two tanks of the lower tier 31 which form a seat for the tank 31. Each of these clamps has a screw 32'threaded through one arm thereof, and by means of the screw the clamp may be clamped upon the chimes of the two containers. It being understood that a pair of clamps is connected with each end of the tanks of the upper tier.

While I have illustrated and described the referred embodiments of the invention, yet Y do not limit myself thereto, inasmuch as variations and modifications can be made therein without departing from the s irit and scope Of-tlle invention as set fort in the accompanying claims.

I claim: I v

l. A multiple-tier multiple unit tank car, including a-car body comprising an open frame having seats, and substantially lindrical containers held in the seats, t e seats being spaced to space the containers so that each pair of containers will rovide between them a seat for another simi ar container resting on the containers of the pair, and similar containers held in the last named seats.

2. A multiple-tier multiple unit tank car, including a car body comprising an open frame having seats, and substantially cylindrical containers in the seats, the seats being, spaced to space the containers so. that a seat for another similar container will be provided between each pair of adjacent containers, similar containers in the last named seats, and clamping means engaging the ends of all of the containers to hold them to their seats.

3. A multiple-tier multiple unit tank car, including a car body comprising an open frame having seats, and substantially cylindrical containers in the seats, the seats being s aced to space the containers so that a seat or another similar container will be provided between each pair of adjacent containers, similar containers in the last named seats, means for clamping the first named set of containers to the body of the car, and independent means for clamping the second .named setof containers in place.

4. A multiple-tier multiple'unit tank car, including a car body comprising an open frame having longitudinally arranged cradles forming transverse seats, and substantially cylindrical-containers in the seats, a superposed series of containers supported above and between said first mentioned containers, and means for clamping all of said containersin lace on the car.

5. A multip e-tier multiple unit tank car, including a car body comprising an open frame having longitudinally arranged cradles forming transverse seats, and substantially cylindrical containers in the seats, a

superposed series of containers supported above and between said first mentioned containers, and independent means for clamping each of said containers independently to the car frame.

6. A multipletier multiple unit tank car, including a car body comprising a frame having transversely arranged seats extending longitudinally of the car and adapted to receive and support a series of transversely arranged containers, and clamping means for clamping the individual containers in place on the seats, together with additional clamping means for clamping a superposed series of containers in place upon said first mentioned containers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MAX MAU'RAN. 

